Toy figure.



J. WILKS.

TOY FIGURE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1915.

1 83, 1 49 Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. WILKS.

V TOY neunz. V APFFLICATION FILED IULY'6. 1915- V n W 1,183,149, r 1 Patented May16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- JOHN WILKS, OF PURLEY, ENGLAND.

TOY men.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed July 6, 1915. Serial No. 38,267.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OI-IN VVILKs, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Dunningley, Great Woodcote Park, Purley, in the county of Surrey, England, leather merchant, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Connected with Toy Figures, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the drawings hereunto annexed, and to the figures and letters marked thereon-that is to say This invention relates to improvements in or connected with toy figures.

Heretofore, numerous toy figures have been produced but these have in general possessed the inherent disadvantage of instability, the more so the lighter and larger they have been made, and, in fact, what may be designated fiat or plane figures,made of cardboard, then wood and the like-have been so constructed as to be unableto stand at all without the aid of a support which it has been the practice to attach them to.

Now, the object of the present invention is to provide a practically flat or plane toy figure, which, while being light in construction, will at the same time possess the necessary inherent stability to be self-supporting, be neat, compact and attractive, and inexpensive to manufacture.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a front elevation of a toy figure, constructed according to the present invention, the body portion being made to represent a little girl. Fig. 2 is a View taken at a right angle to Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the feet of the toy figure shown separately. Fig. 1 is a vertical section taken on the line 11 of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a modified device in which the body portion of the toy figure is made to represent a giraffe, and Fig. 6 is a front elevation of one of the feet separately.

In the several figures of the drawings, like parts are indicated by similar letters of reference.

In the drawings, a represents the body portion, 7) the legs, and a the feet of the toy figure.

Referring to Figs. 1 to 4:, the body portion a of the figure is made of cardboard, two-ply wood or other light or thin material of sufficient toughness, while the legs I) and feet 0 of the figure are made comparatively heavier so that the figure will possess the necessary stability to enable it to stand upright without the aid of extraneous supports.

As shown in the drawings, the legs 6 preferably take the form of spindles and may be constructed, for example, of wood so as to be comparatively heavier than the body a.

The legs?) are articulated or jointed to the body a of the figure, a slot 6 being formed ineach of the legs 2) at the upper end thereof, and into which slots the lower edge a of thebody portion a of the figure fits. Suitable pivotal connections, such as pins bflare then passed through perforations in the parts to connect them together in a manner to permit of movement. Or, the legs I) and body portion a; of the figure may be joined together in any other suitable way which will permit of the movement of said parts with relation to each other.

The feet 0 are made of such a size as to provide suflicient base for the figure to stand upon and are jointed to the'legs b in any suitable manner which will permit of variation in their angular position. One method of so jointing the feet 0 to the legs I; is to form a socket like recess 0 in each of the feet a into which the reduced lower ends 5 of the legs I), loosely fit, as shown in the drawings said lower ends being circular in cross section to admit of the angular movement of the feet 0. A circular groove or slot 6 is formed in the lower ends 6 of each of the legs 6 with which engage screw pins 0 or the like passed through the feet 0. The legs 6 and feet a are thus held together in such manner as will permit of angular variation between said parts.

The figures may be made of a comparatively large size, preferably life size, and may be provided with cards or the like on which may be printed or otherwise marked any suitable distinguishing reading matter. For example, when the figure represents a little boy or girl, it may illustrate a character in a nursery rime or the like and its at tached card may. bear an inscription applicable to the character represented.

The figure may be constructed to represent any human being, or any member of the lower animal world. At Fig. 5 an example of the latter is shown which repre sents a giraffe. In this case the feet 0 are preferably modified in shape, as shown in Fig. 6, in order to afford a sufficient base to give to the figure the required stability.

The figures may be packed and sold in boxes, each containing any convenient number which may represent, for example, a number of little boys or girls, constituting the members of a school, a troup of boy scouts, the characters in a rime or fairy tale or otherwise as desired.

The body portion a, may have the pictorial representation of the figure it is intended to indicate marked thereon in any well known manner.

By the means hereinbefore described, a toy figure, preferably large or life size, will be obtained which although light, portable and compact in construction, will at the same time possess inherent stability, and be neat, attractive, inexpensive to manufacture and be instructive and amusing to children.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I claim is 1. In a toy figure the combination of a fiat body portion of thin material, round legs of comparatively heavy material pinjointed to the body and feet of heavy material jointed to the legs in such manner as to be capable of being turned to any desired angle as set forth.

2. In a toy figure the combination of a flat body portion of thin material, round legs of heavier material and of considerably larger diameter than the thickness of the body and slotted at their upper ends to receive the lower part of the body, pins crossing the slots and pivotally connecting the legs with the body and heavy feet mounted on the lower extremities of the legs with capability of rotation in a horizontal plane as set forth.

3. In a toy figure the combination of a flat body portion of thin material, round legs of comparatively heavy material pin jointed to the body and at their lower extremities formed of reduced diameter, feet of heavy material bored to receive the reduced portions of the legs, circular grooves in said reduced portions and pins carried by the feet engaging said grooves so that the feet are capable of rotation as set forth.

JOHN WILKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent, Washington, D. G. 

